The army of slayers raised their arms cheering in Victory. This was the second Hell mouth they had closed. It was almost as difficult as the closing the first. Willow had worked her magic doing her best to help each slayer.
The victory didn't come with out a cost. Through the smoke and rubble Faith carried a motionless Buffy. Faith yelled hoping to get someone anyone over to help.
The celebrating slayers suddenly stood silenced. Of course other slayers had fallen. It was the nature of what they did. Buffy was more then a slayer though. She was a symbol. She was the one who they all wanted to be.
Everyone stood quiet waiting to hear. Faith broke the silence. "HOSPITAL NOW." Xander had no words instead he ran to the van starting the engine. Giles got in the back of the empty cargo van. Faith laid Buffy down and stayed on one side while Giles got on the other. Each of them held on to her hand.
Her pulse was faint and weak but not gone. No words were said just rubble and smoking tires as Xander left the other slayers standing there. Wood could take charge of the situation.
Giles looked at the girl he considered to be a daughter. "Buffy if you can hear me you have to hold on. We are going to get you help." Giles looked to Faith . "What happened?"
"When part of the wall collapsed part of it came down on her. I found her under a pile of rubble and rock." Xander drove faster then he ever drove. Any policemen who dare to pull him over would face his wrath. He had lost too much already to one hell mouth. He wouldn't lose another. Not one more. He was drawing a line in the sand. Buffy was too high of a price to pay.
As the van pulled in to the Emergency room parking lot 2 attendees were standing outside waiting. Fortunately Wood had the foresight to call ahead and let them know what to expect. Xander threw the car in park and Giles opened the back doors carrying Buffy to the gurney. Giles took the lead giving the best diagnosis he could.
"I believe she has massive head trauma. She has a pulse but it is very weak." The attendees nodded wheeling her in quickly. Xander, Giles and Faith followed as far as they were allowed. The doctors stopped them explaining patients only to this point.
They all found spots in the waiting room. Faith sat in the chair shaking her head.
"B is tough okay. I mean she can bounce back from this." Xander closed his eyes hoping she was right. 5 minutes later Kennedy and Willow showed up taking a seat waiting. Within 45 minutes every slayer who was able was there. Wood stayed behind and was tending to the wounded.
The first nurse came to the group and explained some of them should go home. The waiting room wasn't equipped to handle so many. Faith stood up and told her none of them were leaving. They were family and today a sister had fallen. Until they knew the fate of that sister none of them were going anywhere.
It had been 2 hours and they hadn't heard anything. Xander was going nuts. An update on the situation would have been nice. Willow reasoned though no news was good.
"As long as we don't hear anything we know they are still working and means she's still with us." At the 3-hour mark a doctor came out. He looked young. If Giles were to take a guess he would have put him younger then Faith. Which didn't sit well with some of them. He looked at the group.
"I would like to talk to a couple of you and you can relay the information we have to your group if that's okay." Giles, Xander and Dawn were the first to their feet. The doctor nodded at them as if he wanted them to follow.
He led them to an empty examination room. The 3 of them stood in front of the doctor waiting to hear anything he would tell them. "We've relieved cranial pressure that was causing bleeding on her brain. She has a dislocated shoulder and broken clavicle. There are multiple lacerations that are currently being stitched." Giles wanted to cut to the chase.
"But she'll be okay?" The doctor was reluctant to say.
"Right now she is stable but her brain was with out oxygen for 7 minutes. We are making her comfortable." Dawn stood there worried. She knew all the terms doctors used to comfort the family.
"Make her comfortable? Is she awake?" The Doctor shook his head.
"There is a real possibility that she might not wake up." Dawn felt the tears trail down her cheek." Xander wanted to hit the doctor for saying that but knew it wouldn't help the situation.
"Hey Dawnie this is Buffy. She's not like you or me. She's made of strong stuff." He looked at the doctor "Can we see her?"
"It is going to be a few hours. When she's moved to a room some of you can see her but we can't have your entire group." Giles nodded.
"Of course. We will take shifts." The doctor nodded.
"We will let you know when you can see her." With that the 3 of them went back to the waiting room to relay the information they gathered to the rest of the group. Xander looked to all of the slayers.
"Okay we all love and care about Buffy. You all will have a chance to see her but for now Wood is going to take you back to the hotel. If there is any new information we promise we will pass it on as soon as we hear it." The girls groaned not wanting to leave but all of them understood the situation. "I don't know where everyone is religiously. It's not my place or my business but I ask all of you to please take time and say a prayer for Buffy tonight."
After the slayers left all that remained were Willow, Giles, Dawn Xander and Faith. Just before midnight a nurse came to them telling them she could take them to her room.
As they walked in the constant beep of the heart monitor could be heard. An oxygen take could be heard pumping air. She had different wires and iv's hooked up to her. All of them stood quiet not sure what to say. It was hard to see someone who was so strong in such a vulnerable state. She wasn't just a friend. She was a sister, a hero a daughter and seeing her like that wasn't easy. Xander broke the tension stepping to the edge of her bed.
"Hey Buffy we are here." The nurse told them that even though she was unconscious there was a good chance not only could she hear but she was listening. "We are all here for you." Dawn was next and stood next to Xander.
"You should be proud Buffy. We won. Cleveland is officially with out a hell mouth" Giles swallowed the lump in his throat trying to remain strong. He stepped forward.
"The Battle's done and we kind of won." He shook his head. "I don't really feel like doing any victory cheers though." Willow stood on the other side of the hospital bed. She reached taking Buffy's hand.
"We are here for you now. I want you to rest. You can't give up the fighting though. You have to get back to us." Faith stood at the foot of the hospital bed.
"Trust me B. You don't want to stay in that hospital bed. I've been there and it sucks. Get your ass up." Xander took Buffy's other hand.
"I promise you. You will not be alone. Until you wake up I give you my word their will always be someone here with you."
That evening all of them stayed in the room. No one said much of anything. They were all so tired. Tired in every way there was to be tired. Their bodies were tired. Emotionally they were tired but mostly just tired in the soul. A nurse came in at 6 am to find them still there. She noticed Faith's arm bleeding.
It was nothing major. It was a battle wound that occurred during the fight. Faith was so worried about Buffy she didn't notice. The kindly nurse brought some disinfectant and bandages in to the room. She brought a tray table over and started working on her arm. Nothing was said as she worked until she was done. Faith looked at her with an appreciative smile.
"Thank you very much."
A few more hours had passed with no response. Giles looked to the group. "We don't know how long we will be here. That being said I know we could use some food. We could use a change of clothes and a shower." Dawn shook her head.
"I'm not leaving her." Giles knew the pain she had to be feeling.
"Dawn your sister is going to need you to be strong. You will be no good to her if you run yourself ragged." Dawn shook her head.
"I'm not leaving." Giles sighed ready to object but Xander interjected.
"She's right. I think we take turns. I will stay with Dawn. Then later when we need to leave you guys can take our place." Willow nodded thinking it was a sound plan.
"It makes sense." Xander had stepped up to take a bit of a leadership role.
"I don't ever want this room empty though. Always should be someone with her in this room. Are we clear?" No words were said. Instead they just nodded as if agreeing to a silent pact.
With that Faith, Giles and Willow left the room. Dawn stood up going to the bathroom. Xander sat in the chair next to Buffy's bed. It was the first time since arriving that he had been alone with her. He reached for her hand.
"I promise you Buffy I am here waiting and I will not give up on you."